Wands Upon A Time

Focusing is an important part of practicing magic, and there are a number of tools that can help you achieve this--like the wand. Wands are directly linked to Nature and the four elements, the source of all physical life. Wood wands, in particular, are quite common because they hold elements of earth, fire, water and air. In Irish myth, oak, ash, thorn and hazel are the most noble of the trees and, therefore, the best for wand making, but you can use any that “speak” to you. One of our friends, author Pauline Campanelli, liked to use a fallen twig from her favorite twisted filbert tree! The tree is anchored in earth, draws water and nutrients from the soil, releases oxygen through its leaves, and is burned for fuel. Wood naturally conducts energy.

Other materials are popular as well, and for the same reason: conductivity. Crystal wands are great at drawing energy from your hand chakra and directing it outward, as are those made of copper. Your wand can be as simple or fancy as you like. The feel is most important. How does it rest in your hand? Does it feel too light, too heavy, or too awkward? When you extend your arm and point at an object in the distance, does it seem like a natural part of you, or does your arm get weak and shaky? When you draw a pentagram in the air, can you sense your energy moving outward through the wand? These are things to consider when making your selection. Obtaining a wand can be as simple as finding a fallen branch with an interesting twig, buying one from a Craft store or festival, or making your own. Crafting a wand yourself allows you to bind your energy to the wand at all times, not just when it's in use. In fact, you can easily craft a wand that combines wood, crystal AND copper. You will need:

A hot glue gun

A piece of copper pipe. This should be about one inch around and a foot long or less (depending what length feels comfortable in your hand). Building supply and plumbing supply stores carry this kind of pipe. They may even have scrap pieces that they will give away.

A crystal point. Clear quartz is easiest to obtain and most affordable. New Age shops and Nature stores will carry them. The crystal should fit snuggly into your pipe, but not all the way. You want your crystal point to show!

Material to wrap around the pipe. This can be fabric that you like, but scrap leather and suede work best. We got ours from an old furniture show room sample book, but craft stores also carry bags of scrap pieces. You may also find scrap pieces at fabric stores. Leather lacing, ribbon or jute string.

A bead, gem stone, charm, shell (or any decoration you would like to use) to cap the end of the pipe.

Filling for the wand. You don't have to, of course, but you may wish to fill the copper pipe with things that will intensify the working of your wand, like sea salt for cleansing, rice for grounding, special herbs for special purposes, sea shells or bit of coral to attune it to moon magic--you get the idea!

First, hot glue around the crystal point as it sits tightly in the wand. You want it to make good contact with the pipe because the copper will take the energy from your hand, when you hold it, and direct it up to the crystal.

When the glue dries, turn the pipe upside down and pour in your filling. If you decided to cap your wand with another crystal or stone, you can fill it to the top, place the stone over the opening, and hot glue all around to seal it to the pipe.

Your end cap bead, stone, shell, etc. should be large enough to plug the end of the wand (For this wand, three long pieces of jute were passed through the hole of the bead to make fringe. You can use ribbon or even thick embroidery floss instead). Glue the bead onto the pipe (knot side in if you've made a fringed bead).

Now, you're ready to wrap the wand in your material. You should cut your piece long enough to cover any hot glue around the crystal point and your end cap. It should wrap around the pipe with just enough to overlap where you started. Before you start to glue down the material: decide what side of the crystal point you like best. When you point it, what side of the crystal do you want to see? This will be the front of the wand. You should start gluing down the material on the BACK of the wand. This way, the seam that will be created, when you're done, will be on the underside.

Finally, you get to decorate! For this wand, suede lacing was used. Figure out the location of the middle of the piece (always make your length of ribbon or thong long enough to decorate the entire wand).

Glue the center onto the top of the seam behind the crystal, then criss-cross the lacing all the way down. Glue the end pieces on the bottom of the wand, on the seam.

You can add any special beads or charms to the body of the wand. For this piece, a bone star was glued onto the body of the wand, and beads tied to the fringe.

Your new wand will hold the energy of the crystal you chose, but also the copper, and any filling you may have used--and, of course, your own vibrations. After all, YOU selected the stone to use, the colors, and even the purpose. Happy casting!

From 2006 to 2010, www.broomstix.com was an online magazine for families following alternative spiritual paths. Relaunched in 2013, Broomstix has a new format, but the same, simple goal: to be a positive community resource where folks can share their knowledge and talents.